1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to beverage containers, and more particularly to a re-sealable spigot for collapsible beverage containers.
2. Background
Flexible containers made from paperboard or metal foil are often used to package various beverages for retail distribution. These flexible containers are often packaged with a separate straw wrapped in cellophane and secured to the outside of the container. The straw may be removed by the consumer and used to puncture a sealed spout as the straw is inserted into the container. Once the straw is inserted, the consumer may withdraw the beverage from the container.
The use of a straw secured to a beverage container has numerous drawbacks. Packaging a straw together with the container can be costly and inefficient, requiring not only an additional manufacturing step to make the straw and cellophane wrap, but yet another manufacturing step to wrap the straw with the cellophane and secure it to the container. When the consumer uses the straw, the cellophane wrap is discarded, resulting in waste. The insertion of the straw through the sealed spout into the container can also be difficult, and often results in the beverage squirting up through the spout. If the entire beverage is not consumed, then it will go to waste for there is no easy way to reseal the spout once it is punctured. Moreover, the straw is prone to dislodge from the container before use, making the consumption of the beverage very difficult, if not impossible.
Accordingly, there is a need for a re-sealable spigot for a collapsible beverage container that is commercially viable to produce for retail distribution. The beverage container should not require the use of a straw to consume the beverage and should have a mechanism to reseal the container in the event that the beverage is not completely consumed.